UFV goes green with new training manual for building service workers

Saying Dennis Shepit is an expert in green cleaning is no exaggeration.

In fact, he wrote the book on it.

Shepit, an instructor with UFV’s Faculty of Trades & Technology, is the author of a new textbook for UFV’s Building Service Worker (BSW) program that focuses on environmentally sound cleaning practices and extends its scope beyond the training manuals offered at most other institutions.

Abbotsford’s Shepit joined UFV after being contacted by Karen Massier, who coordinates Continuing Studies for UFV’s Trades & Technology. She was looking for a BSW instructor, and Shepit agreed on one condition: that he could use his new manual.

Massier passed the request along to UFV Trades & Technology director Rolf Arnold, who immediately saw the value in both Shepit’s experience, and his book (The Building Service Worker Handbook: Principles of Green Cleaning).

“Green cleaning is an important aspect in today’s efforts to maintain and improve our environment,” Arnold explains.

“The cleaning industry is heavily dependent on chemicals that clean and disinfect, and many of those harsh chemicals can now be replaced with more environmentally friendly products. Our goal is to introduce these products in a generic manner, and inform those using them about the various known pros and cons of specific use products. More importantly, we want to inform our students about the personal safety and environmental damage that many past and current products may cause.”

Shepit is working on his manual’s third edition, which will include more graphics than previous versions, bringing even more insight from his three-decade career in the cleaning business — running his own sanitary supply distribution company, which he recently sold to his sons.

“I felt I needed to bring the cleaning profession up to speed,” Shepit explained, saying other training classes are taught with text books from the 1970s that were “propped up” over the years with some updated information.

Taking UFV’s Building Service Worker course opens the doors to cleaning careers within various levels of government, health care, and public education. These jobs often offer extended medical and pension opportunities, adding to the value of getting qualified in the field.